Netflix launches 1,000-title online movie feature
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=2798489&page=1

Quote :

" Its instant viewing feature, available only on computers that run the Windows XP and Vista operating systems, plays back DVD-quality digital files almost instantly after subscribers install special software from the Netflix site, a process that takes about 20 seconds. It does not download large movie files to consumers' computer hard drives, but "streams" them directly from the Internet, meaning that users must stay connected to the Web, either through a cable or wireless connection, while viewing a movie. "

will there be any kind of copy protection that prevents me from viewing on a tv? if i can play it on my tv i might do this.

and here are some funny letters to netflix for your amusement
http://flickr.com/groups/notestonetflix/pool/

[Edited on January 17, 2007 at 12:02 PM. Reason : .]

1/17/2007 12:01:32 PM

this is old news

1/17/2007 12:02:55 PM

haha jon, your not unsuspended yet?

1/17/2007 12:03:30 PM

^^well it just launched

1/17/2007 12:11:11 PM

Damn I thought you meant it was already available. Netflix told me I would able to use it by June of this year.

1/17/2007 12:20:23 PM

so i am unsuspended

1/17/2007 12:22:48 PM

Quote :

"Damn I thought you meant it was already available."

1/17/2007 12:37:25 PM

Blockbuster is killing them with the in-store rental

1/17/2007 2:11:32 PM

Netflix is releasing it to 250,000 customers at a time every couple of weeks to monitor the system and hope to have access for everyone this summer.

1/17/2007 4:20:34 PM

^^I don't care about the instore piece. I hate having to deal with going by a store out of my way. If this is immediate to stream a movie to my PC and then by S-Video to my TV, then I'm sold on it.

1/17/2007 5:38:39 PM

1/18/2007 12:46:28 AM

So I haven't looked ... but how are they going to guarantee somebody won't be able to download / save / burn the movies? If I want a media file badly enough right now, I can probably figure out a way to get it.

1/18/2007 6:36:59 AM

Fuck you Bigman, I would watch some shit tonight if I had this option.

1/18/2007 7:19:34 AM

watching movies on the computer doesn't appeal to me

1/18/2007 10:30:08 AM

how is blockbuster's selection compared to netflix? alos, are there any stipulations with getting one from the store like no new releasese, or whatever? i've got a blockbuster ~5 min from my apartment, so if their prices and selection are comperable to netflix, and there are no bs restrictions on in store pick up, i might have to sign up for that. at the same time, my computer is hooked up to my lcd tv so if the download stream is good, that might be a better option.

1/18/2007 10:38:50 AM

Quote :

"Netflix flipped the switch on their video download service and I just took it for a spin. Let's see, the essentials: I used a Winblows machine, plus IE, per their requirements. Logging into my account, I was presented with a new tab up top called "watch now." Clicking through, I was asked to install a cab file that was 800kb in size. That's the Netflix movie player. I downloaded Real Genius. The 1 hour, 40 minute flick took about 16 minutes to finish on my 6mbit connection, which was being tapped at about 2mbits. And the stream started playing almost immediately. Netflix claims it can scale quality based on your bandwidth, and how hard their servers are being slammed, so quality will vary. Quality was outstanding, with very few compression artifacts visible in either solids or motion. I'd guess the resolution for the standard def movies was at to be roughly 800 wide, by 480 tall. So, native DVD resolution. It looked good fullscreen on a 1280 by 768 11-inch Vaio, but probably would hold up on a larger screen. Billing is smart... For roughly every dollar of service you pay every month, you get an hour of play. And playback isn't counted as what you download. It's what you watch. I skimmed through Real Genius and True Lies and was only billed for what I saw, not what I FF'd past. I do not believe you can watch a movie twice for free the second time, though. And does this mean that if you are half way through a movie and you run out of minutes, you have to wait til next month or upgrade your subscription to watch the rest? IMG_6904.jpg Oh, that's another thing, fast forwarding. I dragged the control bar forward and back and while I did, the display updated the hour/minute counter (sorry, no seconds were displayed.) Once you let go of the bar, it will cache the movie from your point. My experience says this should take no more than 3-7 seconds. Amazing. The selection? It seemed to suck. But it can only get better, especially once Netflix sinks its hooks into Hollywood and net-infrastructure point of view. Speaking from an end user standpoint, I believe that Netflix is going to kick some ass."

-via http://www.gizmodo.com

1/18/2007 11:07:05 AM

maybe a media center pc and a 360 will allow for viewing through your tv

1/18/2007 1:18:04 PM

http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/apple-to-release-itv-video-streaming-box-in-2007/

http://us.slingmedia.com/object/io_1168286861787.html

1/18/2007 1:24:28 PM

Quote :

"how is blockbuster's selection compared to netflix? alos, are there any stipulations with getting one from the store like no new releasese, or whatever? i've got a blockbuster ~5 min from my apartment, so if their prices and selection are comperable to netflix, and there are no bs restrictions on in store pick up, i might have to sign up for that. at the same time, my computer is hooked up to my lcd tv so if the download stream is good, that might be a better option."

No restrictions, you take your envelope in the store, pick out any movie, they scan it in just like renting a movie normally and they mail it back for you. Works great for me. Prices for each are pretty much the same

1/19/2007 4:58:13 PM

Today I checked my "Your Account" page and clicked the link for "How do I watch movies on my PC?" and it added the "Watch Now" tab to my page.

I did the same yesterday after seeing that BigMan post and it just told me it was coming soon.

So, you guys may want to check back and see if they have activated it for you since then.

1/19/2007 8:04:08 PM

^ Thanks, it just let me in, too.

1/19/2007 8:14:51 PM

if anyone is curious, you can watch them on the tv. there is no copy protection preventing them from being displayed on a tv.

1/19/2007 8:47:37 PM

great and all if there was actually anything worth watching

1/19/2007 9:28:06 PM

seriously, their selection sucks

1/19/2007 9:31:58 PM

hahah they have Blackula

1/19/2007 9:44:48 PM

yeah, the selection leaves a lot to be desired.

1/19/2007 9:56:31 PM

I wonder if this will take off? i mean the bandwidth required at server has to be huge.

1/19/2007 10:11:42 PM

^cheaper than the brick and mortar of blockbuster

1/20/2007 12:18:35 AM

It told me that it would enable it for me "by July 2007".

1/20/2007 3:24:26 AM

"by June 2007" for me.

1/20/2007 7:55:56 AM

Super Size Me is rated #1 in the list of top 25.

1/20/2007 12:13:45 PM

Quote :

"So I haven't looked ... but how are they going to guarantee somebody won't be able to download / save / burn the movies? If I want a media file badly enough right now, I can probably figure out a way to get it."

Probably the same guarantee they have that people won't copy their regular DVD's that get sent out to them.

None.

1/20/2007 1:09:04 PM

i watched Short Circuit on it last night

1/20/2007 1:32:52 PM

June 07 here.

I'm guessing they are basing who and who does not get to watch online by who has been a member longer. I've been a member since March of this year so I figured I'm on down the line.

1/20/2007 2:19:23 PM

http://www.netflix.com/FAQ?p_faqid=1172 is the link in case anyone was wondering

1/20/2007 2:27:34 PM

I think I started this past August and it's available for me.

1/20/2007 7:40:49 PM

This isn't really going to accomplish anything in the war versus blockbuster. I tried explaining how cool this'd be to my dad and he told me, "Son, nobody watches movies on their computer." Well, we might, but really.. how many people care about this?

1/20/2007 8:26:38 PM

The length of time being a member has nothing to do with it. I have been with them since Aug. 05, and I'm on June 07 as well.

1/21/2007 7:42:40 AM

i opened a free trial and the same day i could do online streaming

1/21/2007 3:38:04 PM

^good job.

^^ It was a guess. I see it's not true if ^ isn't lying

[Edited on January 21, 2007 at 5:04 PM. Reason : fasdf]

1/21/2007 5:04:14 PM

mine said BY JUNE 2007 and then the next day it worked

so who knows

1/22/2007 1:06:57 PM

so how does this work? could i install this software on more than one computer? or is it somehow linked to a specific IP address or something?

basically i ask because it would be easier to work this out at my gf's place (she has wireless internet and a laptop) as opposed to mine (no wireless + desktop). but i would rather not be limited to streaming movies just at her place.

1/22/2007 1:20:52 PM

Quote :

"The company will offer Watch Now at no additional cost to its customers. The number of hours available for "instant watching" depends on monthly plans. For example, subscribers to Netflix's $17.99 package of unlimited rentals and three DVDs out at a time can watch 18 hours of online movies per month."

lame.

1/22/2007 2:12:57 PM

Sounds fine for me. I have the $17.99 plan so 18 hours of online is more than what I'll watch, I'm sure.

1/22/2007 2:26:06 PM

oh yeah and i forgot to quote that there will be ~1000 titles available (compared to the 70,000 available by mail) but i assume this will improve greatly over time.

1/22/2007 2:29:08 PM

wonder if i reactivate my netflix subscription if they'll enable online viewing for me

1/22/2007 8:30:07 PM

Quote :

""by June 2007" for me."

I checked again yesterday, and now I have access.

1/24/2007 7:10:38 AM

it works for me now. and the quality is surprisingly good. the selection is pretty much crap at the moment though. (there were 3 or 4 selections from my queue available for streaming though)

1/24/2007 8:52:13 AM

I got access today

2/1/2007 2:20:03 PM